Tired Of Champagne? Try These Drinks Instead

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The holiday season may have passed, but gift-giving occasions keep coming. There are plenty of familiar gifts to send by mail or pick up at the liquor store. Whether for a birthday, a dinner party, or just to celebrate Arbor Day, I prefer to give bottles that are, of course, good, and have a touch of whimsy and perhaps special meaning to the recipient.



Here are 10 drinks I sampled in 2007 that I would give as gifts.



If Life Deals You Lemons, Make Limoncello

If the gift-recipient is a fan of the series Taxi, you might consider giving her a bottle of Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello. Celebrity booze is notoriously poor. Trump Vodka anyone? Limoncello, traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestif, is a lemon liqueur from southern Italy made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar.



DeVito, through Harbrew Imports, launched a brand of his own after infamously appearing drunk during interviews on ABC's The View and CNN after an all-nighter of limoncellos with George Clooney. It was embarrassing for DeVito, and contributed to him blowing a multipicture financing deal. As limoncello goes, this is pretty good.



Price: $24.99



YouTube: Danny DeVito's Limoncello



Imbibe the Elderflower

As a devotee of digestifs from around the world, I was intrigued to try Delice de Sureau, a liqueur derived from the elderflower and produced by Maison St. Germain. This 40-proof liqueur comes from macerating the flowers and mixing the paste with grape spirits, also known as eau-de-vie, as well as citrus and cane sugar.



This delightful spirit -- sweet but not cloying -- can be enjoyed straight at room temperature, though I preferred it chilled. It could also be added to champagne for a nice New Year's cocktail. It is, actually, like drinking flowers. It should be consumed within two years of bottling.



Price: $33



St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur



A Touch of Canton

The difference between grating fresh ginger into a pie or other dessert and using powdered ginger is like the difference between eating steak or tofu disguised as steak. Ginger has a way of catching the taste buds on the back of the tongue for a palate-cleansing effect. Into this pleasure patch, Charles Jacquin et Cie of Philadelphia this year launched Canton, an infusion of VSOP Cognac and baby ginger.



Straight, on ice, or as a cocktail mixer, it is a refreshing and unique drink, especially as an after-dinner digestif. Canton is 56-proof and contains syrup made from caramelized Vietnamese baby ginger, Grand Champagne VSOP Cognac, orange blossom honey from Provence, neutral spirit, and vanilla.



Price: $29



Wikipedia-defined Canton



Scratching the Pom Itch

Know someone who has jumped on the pomegranate bandwagon? They might appreciate Pama Pomegranate Liqueur from Pama Spirits of Bardstown, Ky., the middle of bourbon country. This 34-proof liqueur is a bit like cherry, though much darker and deeper. I tried it straight, as well as with vodka on the rocks.



As a gift, I suggest adding Pama to a basket containing fresh pomegranates and a bottle of Pom juice.



Price: $25



Pama Pomegranate Flavored Liqueur



Absinthe Without Leave

Know someone who has a dark side? Someone who relished New Orleans before Katrina? Try a bottle of legal absinthe. The aptly named Lucid, Absinthe Superieure, from Viridian Spirits, was crafted by Ted Breaux, a chemist known for his knowledge of vintage absinthes. Breaux produces absinthes in France using 19th century recipes employing the only plant that makes a legitimate absinthe -- Artemisia absinthium, or grand wormwood. To pass American regulations, Lucid does not contain thujone, the naturally occurring chemical found in absinthes of yore. To replace it, Breaux used green anise and sweet fennel.



You could give someone a bottle of this with a volume of Oscar Wilde, who, of course, was a big fan right up to his end. Legend has it absinthe caused people to go mad and hallucinate as if on an LSD trip. Even at a bare-knuckled 124-proof, a legend, however, is all it is.



Price: $59.95



Lucid, Absinthe Superieure



Port of Entry

One of my favorite gifts to give the after-dinner imbiber is a vintage port from the year the person was born. Know any sophisticated 28-year-olds with a taste for port? If so, you could do a lot worse than Graham's 1980 Vintage Port. Full of fruit and leathery tannins, and a deep luscious ruby color, this full-bodied port is an absolute delight.



Price: $70



Graham's 1980 Vintage Port



The Grandest Grand Marnier

One of my favorite digestifs, which also makes for an impressive gift, is Grand Marnier Cuvee du Centenaire. It's a special edition of Grand Marnier celebrating the 100th anniversary of the creation of the company by founder Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle.



This special cuvee was created in 1927. The liqueur, a blend of cognacs, primarily Fine Champagne, aged up to 25 years, distilled essence of wild tropical oranges, and the "Marnier secret," has been aged and finished for two years in oak vats. It's a bit hard to find, so give it to someone who will really appreciate the effort.



Price: $120



Grand Marnier Cuvee du Centenaire



The Welsh Way

It's true, there are hundreds of whiskeys on the shelves from Kentucky, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and even Japan. But there is only one from Wales: Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky is the first whisky from southwestern Britain in more than a century. The mash from which the whisky is distilled comes from Wales' own Brains Brewery, making the whole wonderful sip a total Welsh affair.



Distilled just once by means of a new technology [not twice or three times as is the case with Scotch and Irish whiskey], Penderyn is more toffee and vanilla than peat and smoke. And thus it not only represents a unique addition to your whisky drinker's cabinet because of its origin, but because of its taste as well.



Price: $70



Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky



21: A Good Age

Bushmills Malt 21 [year-old] Whiskey is aged in three different vessels: American bourbon barrels, Spanish oloroso sherry casks, and Madeira drums. The small-batching and extended aging of whiskeys on both sides of the Pond can sound like overkill sometimes. Indeed, some whiskeys go over the hill after too much aging. Irish distiller Bushmills, though, seems to have gotten this one right.



The Madeira leaves hints of raisins, toffee, and almonds. It's become a sought-after sip among serious whiskey drinkers, with the 2004 release held in high regard. It's good enough in lieu of cognac after dinner. All told, this well-seasoned whiskey is worth the premium.



Price: $115



Bushmills Malt 21 Whiskey



Sweet Kentucky Home

If you know a bourbon drinker, you can always give him a bottle of his favorite brand. But that's a little sleepy for my taste -- how about an after-dinner taste of Kentucky? Made with honey and Wild Turkey bourbon, the gold-colored Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur is 71-proof.



A touch viscous, as you would expect, the liqueur carries hints of citrus and caramel, and the bourbon flavor is dialed down a bit. Bourbon drinkers are fiercely brand-loyal. At this affordable price, I might give my gift-recipient a bottle of his favorite brand as well as this liqueur in a two-bottle gift bag.



Price: $21.99



Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur